At just under two and a half hours, “Captain America: Civil War” is longer than any of the previous 12 films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And that should come as no surprise considering the gigantic cast of characters that have been brought together. And it’s this star-power, not the action or the story, that provides “Civil War” with its wow factor.
After another international mission ends-up causing more harm than good, with multiple deaths of innocent civilians, The Avengers are brought-in for an evaluation. And the United Nations decides it’s time to reign-in the Superheroes, asking each member to sign the Sokovia Accords, which states that The Avengers can only spring into action when officially asked – no longer free to fight evil whenever and wherever they wish.
Some members are glad they’re finally being regulated – including Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr. received a reported $40 million to return as Tony Stark) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson back once again). But others, led by Captain America (Chris Evans) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) aren’t happy with the agreement and refuse to sign. And this dispute between Cap and Tony quickly turns the longtime friends into frenemies. This thread – which side, ultimately, will be proven right – is what carries the plot.
The first 90 minutes or so of “Civil War” are pretty straightforward. There are some high-powered action sequences, but the camera moves and edits are so quick that these scenes are difficult to appreciate. And the tone is fairly serious – the one slight criticism I had for “The Winter Soldier”. But there are some strong moments, led by an excellent exchange between Downey, Jr. and Alfre Woodard, in a stirring cameo.
But once Captain America and Iron Man break-out their rolodexes and assemble their respective teams “Civil War” really gets cookin’. The six-on-six playground-style epic-scale brawl ALONE is worth the (inflated) price of admission. Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther is a solid addition to the Marvel movie roster. Tom Holland is refreshingly appealing as the new Spider-Man. His start-up relationship with Stark as mentor works nicely. And Paul Rudd, who returns as Ant-Man, has some of the best lines and is way more likable in a “small” dose here than in his own film.
“Civil War” isn’t my favorite Marvel Studios installment. The “superheroes out of control” storyline certainly isn’t fresh (wasn’t that also at the core of “Batman v. Superman”?) But unlike with that DC disaster, the use of all the extra characters from the comic universe is done effectively and with a purpose this time. That’s one of probably a dozen things that make “Civil War” a much better film than “Dawn of Justice”.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Captain America: Civil War” gets a solid B.
Running Time: 147 min.